Tuesday, July 1, 2014

8 Ways To Find Sanity Among Your Chaos ~ Day 16 ~

So you're ready to get started with saving time & money in your busy day!

In other words becoming a good steward of what God has given you!

Well today I want to give you some shortcuts or ideas to help you accomplish that! And, also help you find areas that are robbing you of your time & money!

1) When you leave your home to go shopping do you know where you are going, what you're going after and the route you're going to take?

What I have learned is to group my errands together. Say it's Monday and there's a mirror at Hobby Lobby that's on sale I've been wanting. I could just jump into the car and go on a get it. Right? But, I start thinking...I know on Wednesday I'm going across town to clean someone's home. I also need to pick up the Hubby's prescriptions at Target and they are all right close to Hobby Lobby. I think about it and decide I will wait. Yes it's hard! Cause I want that mirror right now! I've been waiting FOREVER! But with gas prices soaring and trying to be a better steward of both my money and my time I'll wait. I can just do it all while I'm going to be out in that area anyway! By doing it that way I have saved money and time.

2) Do you have certain products you use on a regular basis? Sure you do! You know bathroom tissue, paper towels, shampoo, laundry stuff, etc. Do one just get what you need? Or do you try to stock up?

If you're like me, you may not always feel you have the extra money in your budget to stock up. But if you look at this way....I'm going for one and we use it frequently, for just a few dollars more I can make our money and my time work for us better! I'm here now and we will run out and I'll have to use more fuel to come back and get more later and it may not be sale then. So if you can, without causing problems by going in the red on my budget.... I'll be a good steward of our money and my time!

3) Do you make lists or do you just try to remember what you need to do and go and get?

I have started leaving little post-it pads and pencils lying around so when I do think of the things I need or want to be sure and get at the store....I will have them written down. No more getting to store and not remembering the main thing you went for.

In our hustle and bustling world it's hard to remember everything. I've been on my way home from the store only to remember half way home I forgot something I really needed.

Years ago I use to keep a personal daily planner. You remember those? They were the best at keeping everything organized. I mean you had your calendar, address book, birthdays, note pad, to-do lists, etc. But now they're just a thing of the past.

If you have a smart phone or tablet you can keep all those important to do's all right there in a tidy neat little place small enough to fit into your pocket. They can even send you a reminder of your "to do's" and important dates. How convenient! So make use of all the awesome things you can do in such a small space.

4) Are you a morning person or night time person?

I use to be a night time person but over the years I have had to rewire my internal clock. You know that clock that tells you it's time to get up only when you get up, you realize it's Saturday and you soooooo could have slept in this morning.

Anyway it doesn't matter what type you are; just make the best use of that energy. No matter what time it is.

Learn to do energy consuming tasks when you have the most energy and ability to stay focused on mind taxing things. Rather than running out of steam before you've even gotten started.

5) Do you procrastinate?

Man I sure do! It can get me in trouble and really cause a lot of unnecessary wasted time.

Sometimes our procrastination comes for being afraid of how to do the task. Just get up go in there and get started. Once you get started you realize all the stress and torture about not wanting to do it was self inflicted!

6) Are you a perfectionist?

If so that could be where your procrastination stems from. If you don't start you won't fail! I'm a perfectionist. That doesn't mean that everything is always perfect. It just means that's the way I want it to be.

I have always said...If a job is worth doing, then I'm going to do it the absolute best that can. I mean why waste my time to do something half way only to have to fix it again later because I didn't take the time to do it right in the first place. However I can be a procrastinator because of it. And it really gets in the way of trying new things. I have more projects that I haven't even started because I'm afraid I'll make a mess. It won't turn out right. I'll waste my money I spent. Well isn't it money wasted if it is just going to sit there in the sack they gave it to you in at the store? But once I do finally get started I realize it's easier than I thought.

So it's okay to be a perfectionist, just don't let it keep you from getting things done. Not everything has to perfect, it just needs to be done.

7) Have you ever been invited to a party and don't have the time to go get them a gift?

The solution for this is to buy and store small gifts in a plastic bin or on an extra closet shelf or a cabinet. Find things on clearance and buy them. One of the absolute best times to do this is after Christmas. When all the stores are trying to get rid of all their holiday gift pack items. Like bubble bath, bath gels, lotions, toys, household goods, etc. I have found some pretty nice things for some sweet people.

Don't go over-board because you'll need to be able to store them for a few months.

Oh! On that shelf have some extra gift bags, tissue paper, ribbon and wrapping paper.

8) Did you forget to by someone special a birthday card?

One thing you can do so that doesn't happen is to buy all your birthday cards once a year. Yes I know it can be a costly thing. So instead of doing that, buy them quarterly or monthly. Whatever you can fit into your budget. Remember we are trying to be better stewards of our time and money. It may be a chunk of change but you're here, you need them so why not get what you're going to need instead of waiting until you HAVE to have them. Monthly is better than one at a time. Baby steps.

So there you have it! I've given you 8 ways to add time in your day and money in you pocket. What are some ways you have found to save time and money? Leave a comment in the green box below because I know everyone would love to hear your ideas too!

Encouragement For The Spirit ~

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. Proverbs 15:22